Guild Wars: Intro
by zizibolt
Summary: Basically, this is the Pre-Searing in my eyes. No, this isn't meant to be the way it exactly happened. But, thats why this is a fanfic. First story eva, might continue with the rest of Prophecies if you guys like. Note: I know it isn't very well done
1. Strange Encounter

One tired, summer day, five friends were walking around the town. Laughing along the way, they started hearing faint chanting from far away. As they got closer to the noise, they realized that it was right outside the castle walls. They hurried to higher ground, and to their horror they saw a massive gathering of animals and beasts of all sorts. The five friends tried to tell the citizens to run, because they feared that they were going to do something horrible, and to their dismay, it seemed too late as a meteor went flying to the walls from the heavens, breaking the defenses and sending a swarm of beasts and demons into the village. As the five friends tried to save the commoners from the monsters, another meteor came down, and…

Strange Encounter

I suppose I should start from the beginning. There was once a young woman named Devona. Devona was a brave woman, always true to herself and always at the side of her friends when in trouble. She was the teacher of basic fighting at the War Academy in Ascalon. Ascalon was a cheery town, the home to youths wishing to learn all sorts of knowledge. Our young Devona was teaching how to use a sword to the new recruits, when she heard a cry for help. As she went to find who was in trouble, she noticed a rampaging beast in the town, growling at the gate guards. It was a grotesque sight, primal looking, with a big head and wearing armor. Its teeth were large, and its back seemed bent. So, she grabbed her mallet and ran at the beast, but when she swung at him, he merely grabbed the mallet and yanked it away from her, throwing it at one of the guards. One second she thought she was done for, as the monster was closing in, ready to sink its claws in her flesh, the next she saw an arrow hit the beast right in the neck, and it slowly fell to the ground. As she got back up, she noticed a shadowy figure jump down from atop a roof, and he walked to Devona.

"Who are you," Devona asked, "and what was that thing?"

As the man came closer she saw that he was an older man, in his thirties or so. He had hair down to his shoulders, and his beard was grizzly.

"I am Aidan, and that _thing_ is a Charr. They live just outside the village in the woods. I've been tracking this one for a while now. This one here is one of their leaders," he said as he nudged the dead body with his foot. "And what might your name be?"

Devona looked shocked. How could she have not seen one of those beings before? After all, they are just outside the gates, or so this strange man says. "Oh. Um, my name is Devona. I teach the soldiers at the War Academy. You look to be a ranger."

Aidan looked at his bow, and he shrugged. "I'm pretty good at shooting things I suppose. Not like I had anything better to do in the wilderness."

Devona studied him more carefully this time. She tried to see through his garment and physical features, and focus on his aura, as her friend Mhenlo had taught her. Mhenlo would continually do this to see who is pure hearted and not. But she just couldn't. "Well then. I suppose I should show you around town. You're probably gonna be a hero now that you slayed a creature of great magnitude." And so, the two new friends walked off to the Academy. Little did they know that they were being watched, from the very small corner by the gate.


	2. Do You See What I See

Do You See What I See?

As the two new friends Devona and Aidan were walking along, they heard the town crier.

"Monsters! Monsters in the south!"

The two looked at each other, and Devona quickly ran to a weapons rack and grabbed another mallet and put a sword in the sheath tied to her waist. "Quickly, follow me," Devona called to Aidan. The two sprinted out the front gate of Ascalon, and followed the dirt path to Ashford Abbey, a small town to the south of Ascalon. They quickly ran through the river along the way, and saw smoke in the distance. "That doesn't look good," Devona stated. The two ran faster, and when they came to a clearing, they saw that a mill was on fire. Aidan looked to the base of the mill and saw two monsters torching it. "Are those some more Charr like the one earlier?" Devona asked.

"No. I think those are Grawl. They're cousins of the Charr, but much less dangerous. You can see the difference. These ones have red hair, and are wearing headdresses. They also are less hunched, and…"

"Sorry, but I don't have time for a biology lesson."

The two sprinted closer and engaged the Grawl in combat. Devona started swinging her mallet, and struck one of the Grawl to the ground. She looked over and saw that Aidan had just shot his one between the eyes, and she saw it fall to its knees, then finally to the ground. When they looked at the mill, they saw it teetering a little, and it slowly started tilting towards the ground.

"I don't think that's a good thing," Devona remarked. He started backing away little by little, then changed to a full on sprint. Devona quickly followed suit, and ran away from the mill as it collapsed to the ground, sending a shockwave out when it fell. Devona and Aidan fell to the ground. Then, they started laughing. "Well, that was fun," Devona said.

"Yeah…fun," Aidan said sarcastically. As they rose to their feet, one of the Grawl started charging at Devona, shouting all the while. By the time she turned around, it had already fallen to the ground. She also noticed someone standing next to it, holding an expertly made staff, one she would recognize anywhere.

"Mhenlo?" Devona asked. The figure turned around, and she saw the radiant face of the holy man. She ran up to him and hugged him.

"Ahem," Aidan coughed.

"Oh. Sorry, this is Aidan. He saved me from a monster back in Ascalon. And Aidan, this is Mhenlo," Devona explained.

"Hello Aidan. Any person who saves Devona's life is a friend of mine," Mhenlo said happily. The two shook hands, and when they were done, they noticed that the surrounding farmland was on fire. "That's a problem…" Mhenlo said. At that moment the fire was doused, turning instead to ice. The three turned around, and noticed a woman far away walking slowly away.

"Hey!" Aidan shouted. The woman kept walking, when out of nowhere an arrow whizzed past her head. She stood paralyzed in fear. Then she turned around, her face full of anger, and the sky turned to a dark red.

"Do you want me to roast you for dinner?" the woman shouted. She lifted her arms up in the air, and Devona tackled her, disrupting the woman's focus. The sky turned back to its normal color, and Devona got up again.

"I'm sorry about that," Devona said, blushing. She helped the woman up and she furiously brushed off the dirt on her clothes. "I'm Devona. What's your name?"

"I'm Cynn," the woman said. "You guys don't know how to give a proper thank you, do you?"

"Again, sorry," Devona said quietly. She studied Cynn more closely. "You look familiar. Do I know you?"

"I live in Ascalon. You might have noticed me in town I guess."

"Hmm. I guess so," Devona said. "So, are you originally from Ascalon?"

"Not really," Cynn muttered.

"Ok. Well, this is Aidan, and this is Mhenlo," Devona said as the two came running up to Devona and Cynn, out of breath. Cynn seemed shy all of a sudden, blushing and not looking at the two. Mhenlo and Aidan looked at each other, and shrugged.

"Well, I better get going. I have to get back to Ashford Abbey," Mhenlo said. He said his goodbyes, and started walking back.

"Come on, Cynn. I'll go show you around the town," Devona said. So Devona and Cynn walked back up north, to Ascalon. Aidan stood for a minute, thinking. He saw the sky getting steadily darker, and he smelled the stench of bugs. He was fearful of it, and he followed the scent to a cave by an old barn house.


	3. Me, Myself, and I

Me, Myself, and I

Aidan got closer to the cave entrance, and what he saw was a horrific sight. There were devourers (giant scorpions) all around, some dead, some living. He looked closer and he saw that a woman was in the midst of the bugs. Her hair was in buns, grey as a cloud. She wore a purple dress, with blue stripes through it. She also held a staff that seemed twisted and eerily evil. He looked back at the bugs and noticed that they were circling around her, while she was clutching a skull in her other hand. It was at that moment that a dark pillar of seemingly nothing encircled her and the creatures. Aidan tried to yell out to her, but no response came. After a minute, nothing had changed, so he started to leave when he heard an explosion, and when he had turned around he saw the pillar was gone, and the woman was standing alone. Aidan quickly rushed up to her. "Are you all right?" he asked.

"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. But those devourers sure aren't," the woman said in an assuring tone.

"Who are you?" Aidan asked the strange lady.

"I am Eve. You're probably wondering what just happened. Well, in simple terms, I sent them to another dimension," Eve said, smiling with a maniacal grin.

"Umm, well, that's cool," Aidan said, confused and in shock at the same time. "How did you do that?"

"Well, I'm a necromancer," Eve clarified more when she saw his expression, "I can manipulate the forces of death and darkness."

"Oh…Ok…" Aidan said, half scared and half awed.

"Oh, I almost forgot to introduce you to Adam," Eve said. She pulled out the skull from her dress. "Say hello Adam." The skull said nothing, its dark eyes of blankness staring at Aidan, but Eve seemed to have heard him say something. "Sorry, he's a bit shy." She put the skull back in her dress, and she made for the cave exit.

"Ok…I guess I'll see you around…" Aidan said in complete puzzlement.

"Yeah. You'll see me around later…" Eve said, and then she walked away. Aidan stood baffled. He said to himself, "First that charr, then the grawl, and now this… what a weird day." He left the cave, and then headed east, to Fort Ranik.


	4. Through the Woods

Through the Woods

Devona and Cynn were on their way back to Ascalon, after a little walk and talk. As they came to the woods, Devona noticed something was off, and signaled for Cynn to wait. She cautiously stepped towards the woods, while getting out her mallet. She noticed some odd garb on the ground, so she knelt down to investigate it.

"Look out!" yelled Cynn. Devona looked up and saw a band of Charr charging her. Devona quickly got in a battle stance, and she stopped one of the Charr right in its tracks with a blow to the gut. Cynn quickly shot some fireballs into the fray, causing one of the monster's fur to set ablaze. Devona quickly charged another charr with her mallet, and swung at its head. The beast fell onto its back. She heard an incantation, then the shouts of Cynn saying "Duck!" Devona quickly hit the ground, and she saw boulders flying towards the remaining Charr. They tried to run away, but the rocks followed them, and eventually got their target. As the chaos simmered down, Devona noticed a scroll on the ground. She picked it up, and read it.

"Soon you shall all feel my wrath. You shall feel the wrath of our gods. You shall feel the wrath of my brothers. And we shall have vengeance for what you have done."

"That's not good," Cynn remarked. "I wonder what they're gonna do."

"One things for sure," Devona stated, "That was just a search party. I saw one of them get away. Probably going to report back to the leaders." Devona clenched the scroll, and then walked off.

"Where are you going?" Cynn asked.

"Fort Ranik, to Prince Rurik," Devona stated. She continued walking, as the sun started to set. "You coming?"

"Yeah. I suppose," Cynn called back, then hurried to catch up to Devona.


	5. Show Me the Way

Show Me the Way

As Mhenlo was walking back to Ashford Abbey, he looked back and noticed that Aidan was walking towards a cave, and the two women were running towards the woods. "That's weird," he thought to himself. He turned back around and continued walking, when he noticed a little girl picking flowers by the pig pen. She looked to be no older than ten, her hair shoulder length. She wore a wreath of flowers and had a red cape on. "You know, its almost dark out," Mhenlo stated. The little girl turned and looked at him. Smiling she ran up to the monk.

"Hi. I was just picking these flowers over there. Do you want one?" She asked politely.

"Sure, but do your parents know you're out here?" Mhenlo asked.

"Yeah. My dad lives just up the hill over there," she pointed to the south. "I was just picking these flowers for him. He's a little sick and I thought this would cheer him up."

"Ok. I would think about heading back home soon, before…" Mhenlo's eyes wandered from the girl, to the hills, where he thought he saw some grizzly shadows. "Just a second. Stay here," he said to the kid. He started walking towards the figures, and as he got closer, he started picking his pace up, for he noticed that the figures were those of Charr. "Darn. Not again," he whispered to himself. He started praying to the god of fire and war, Balthazar. A minute later, his hands were glowing blue, with the god's favor on his side. Seeing this, he ran at the charr, and punched one of them in the face. The two stood there for a moment, frozen in time, and then the next second the monster flew back from the force of the hit. The other charr looked down at the fallen one, then grabbed their weapons and charged Mhenlo. He grabbed his staff, and it too became blue. He stood his ground, and when one came within range, he swiped at its feet, and fell on his back. Another charr slashed at him with a sword, and Mhenlo blocked it with his staff. He then circled the sword out of the charr's hand, and he caught it as it started glowing a red color. The disarmed charr swiped with his claws, and Mhenlo easily blocked it. He then stabbed the sword into the monster's gut, and kicked him away. Two more charr appeared and he hit one in the side, and then spun around to hit the other. Seeing that all the surrounding charr were laying on the ground, albeit looking a bit decayed, he turned to walk away when he stood in shock. He moved his arm into full view and he saw an arrow, straight through it. His hands had returned to their normal color, and he pulled the arrow out, flinching in pain all the while.

He then heard a shout to duck, so he fell face first to the ground as he noticed an arrow narrowly avoided his skull. He rolled over to his back and saw a woman with skeletons ganging up on a lone charr. As the dead bodies mauled the charr, the lady walked over to Mhenlo, helping him up. "Looked like you were in some trouble. I was thinking to myself, that person is crazy fighting all those charr. Then you beat down almost all of them," the woman explained.

"So that explains the burnt bodies. Minion master, I presume," Mhenlo asked. He hit his head with his hand in forgetfulness, when he felt a jabbing pain in his arm. "Oww. I forgot about that." Mhenlo concentrated his focus to his injured arm, and as it started glowing a faint blue color he put his hand over the wound, and when he took it away the wound had stopped bleeding.

"Amazing. Simply amazing. Never thought I'd meet a monk," the woman said in awe. "And yes, I am a minion master. My name is Eve."

"Hello. I'm Mhenlo. I've got to get going, but it was nice to meet you." He turned around and started running back to the little girl. By the time he had reached the pig pen, it was sunset. "Sorry about that. There were some monsters I had to take care of," he explained.

"It's ok. I saw some more of the monsters going towards Ashford Abbey," the girl said, smiling all the while.

"Oh great. How long ago did you see them?" Mhenlo asked hurriedly.

"A while ago. There were a lot of them. Are they bad or something?" the girl asked.

"Yea, they are bad guys. You go get your dad and head for Ascalon, ok? You know where Ascalon is, right?" Mhenlo questioned. She nodded her head. "What's your name?"

"It's Gwen," she said. She started walking to her house in the hills when she heard Mhenlo tell her to run faster. So she started jogging quickly. Mhenlo turned and remembered Ashford Abbey. He quickly went there, when the whole place was a burning ruin. He looked at the ground in dismay, as if the dirt would tell him what to do. He brought his head up, thinking he heard something.

"Go…

"Go to him…"

"Go to whom?" Mhenlo asked. "Wait, I'm talking to myself." He turned around and he saw an iridescent lady.

"Go to Rurik," the faint woman said.

"You're…an avatar…of Dwayna herself?" Mhenlo asked bewildered.

"Go to Rurik," she repeated.

"Right. He'll know what to do," Mhenlo thought out loud. "Thank you, Dwayna," he said as he bowed to the messenger. The vision faded with the wind as he went past, and he hurried off to Fort Ranik. "I've got a story to tell when I see Devona again," Mhenlo thought to himself.


	6. The Prince of Ascalon

The Prince of Ascalon

Standing atop a lone hill, a man looked out upon the fort. He was a tall, proud person, his armor shining gold. His headwear suggested that of royalty, and his face suggested that of poverty. This was Prince Rurik, the bloodline heir to the kingdom of Ascalon. As the sky began to grow darker, he started walking towards the fort's gate. As he did so, he saw figures from far away, slowly coming closer. When they got within range, he heard the yells of the two women. They briskly stopped when they reached the gate.

"Hello, your majesty," Devona said, as she knelt down. Cynn looked at her and copied her movement. "We have dire news to tell you." She started to speak again when she heard the yells of Mhenlo. She turned around and the monk was almost to the gate. She also spotted Aidan walking closer from by the trees.

"Well, we have an odd crew here, don't we," Rurik joked. "So, what is it you needed to speak to me about?" As he finished his sentence Devona, Mhenlo, and Aidan all started talking at once. Rurik tried to listen to all three, catching few words like Charr and bugs, and the city is in danger. "Please, please one at a time," Rurik said calmly. The three continued talking, apparently not hearing him.

"ENOUGH!!" Cynn said abruptly. The three quickly stopped their babbling. "Ok…"

"Now then…you, warrior woman. You speak first," Rurik commanded.

"Well. First we were walking back to Ascalon city, when all of a sudden we noticed a band of Charr by the woods, slowly making their way to the city. There must have been at least twenty of them. So Cynn and I bashed their heads in, and then one of them got away. Then we saw a note on the ground, saying 'We're bad and blah blah' and then we came here," Devona said in a rush.

"Um. There were only about eight of them. And the note said that the Ascalonians will pay and they will feel the wrath of the charr," Cynn clarified.

Rurik contemplated this for a moment, and then asked Aidan to share his story.

"Well, I smelt a horrendous odor, so I followed it to a cave just outside the woods. When I got there a bunch of devourers were surrounding a woman. The next thing I know all the bugs are gone, and she was perfectly safe. Her name was Eve, I believe," Aidan said.

"Oh. I met her too. She seemed nice," Mhenlo added.

"Nice? Scary is more like it. Had a freaky skull she would talk to. Anyway, I thought it was weird, having just seen a grawl and charr attack earlier," Aidan stated.

"I see. Now then, onto the monk," Rurik said.

"Well, I was heading back to Ashford Abbey when I noticed a girl picking flowers. I started talking to her and telling her that it was dangerous to be doing that at this time of day, when I noticed some beings in the distance. I went to investigate and sure enough, there were some charr. I…released…them from this world, and I noticed I got shot. Well, I guess that's irrelevant. Anyway, I met Eve, and then went to the girl again and she told me that more Charr went to Ashford Abbey. When I got there it was already a burning ruin. I just hope that the townsfolk made it out alive," Mhenlo shared.

"Ok. So you're trying to say that the Charr are starting an uprising, and you think it will be soon. If that is the case, it would seem that the other monsters of woods are joining them," Rurik thought to himself, "Well, I must relay this news to my father. Please, feel free to stay the night in the fort." He walked off into a pavilion.

"Well. I guess we should get some rest," Mhenlo said.

"Yeah. We need all our strength to beat up those charr when the day comes," Devona added cheerfully.

"I was afraid you were gonna say that," Mhenlo said. He took a deep sigh, and then went to the inn. Cynn and Devona followed him, while Aidan stood still.

"This game the Charr are playing seems to be very dangerous. I fear that they are coming up with a plan to exterminate us," Aidan contemplated as he went up the fort wall, preparing to guard the fort. "I doubt the army here is sufficient enough to handle an onslaught."


	7. Mission Impossible

Mission Impossible

It was a sunny morning. The birds were chirping, with the grass as green as ever. The trees shook with warmth, and all was calm. Mhenlo walked out of the inn, satisfied by a good night's rest. He went over to Aidan, who was looking out the front gate. "Good morning. You sleep well?"

"As well as I ever will in this place. Too eerie for me," Aidan said as he shivered.

"You're not used to being in civilized places, are you?" Mhenlo asked.

"Yeah. I'm used to being alone all the time. Just me, my bow, and the wilderness. Occasionally a wild cougar would travel with me," Aidan reminisced. "What great times those were. Nothing like it soon will be."

"What do you-."

"Hello men. Good morning is it not?" Rurik appeared from his tent, and the two men knelt in front of him. "Well. We have a mission to get to. So get your stuff, and be ready to leave in a few minutes." Rurik walked over to one of the guards and started conversing with him.

"Better wake Cynn and Devona. They surely won't want to miss this," Mhenlo said. He walked back to the inn and disappeared inside. Aidan stared off for a moment, and then walked outside to a tree. He knelt to its roots, and examined it. Out of nowhere he felt a chill down his spine, but when he turned around no one was there. He looked back at the tree and Eve was standing in front of it.

"Oh! Don't do that again, Eve," Aidan alarmingly said.

"Sorry. So, what's up?"

"Well, the prince has a mission for us to do. I'd invite you along, but I don't know if it's ok for me to." Aidan looked at his shoes for a second, then bent down and brushed off some dirt from them. He lifted his head back up and she was gone. He started searching for her, and he noticed she was in the fort, talking to Rurik. He walked back to the gate and she came running up to him.

"He said it was ok. The more the merrier," Eve smiled. "This is gonna be fun."

"Yeah…fun…"

Inside the inn Mhenlo and Cynn were waiting anxiously. "Come on Devona. We're gonna be late!" Cynn said.

"I'm sorry, but I have to find all my weapons."

"Why do you have all your weapons around the room anyway?" Mhenlo asked.

Quietly whispering she said "In case a burglar came in the room… To fight them at any angle…. Just help me find them." So the three frantically searched the room, occasionally yelling 'Got it!' and 'I didn't know I put one there' and one 'That's not mine'. When they found all the weapons, they walked out of the inn and met up with Rurik.

"Sorry about that," Mhenlo said. "We …lost…a couple things."

"No problem," Rurik said. "Where are that odd looking fellow and the white haired girl?"

"Over here! We're coming," Aidan said, with Eve by his side. When they got to the others Rurik started explaining the mission.

"Well. Our intelligence reports are leading us to a cave over to the north of the Ascalon. We believe that the Charr base is in there. Our job is strictly recon. If we get caught, it could endanger all of the Ascalonians, and it might rush the Charr's invasion plan."

"So if we get caught?" Cynn asked.

"We fight. We fight and escape to the city. We will have to report back to my father. He is going to Ascalon to warn them of the coming invasion. Everyone understand?" The rest of the group nodded, and they proceeded to follow Rurik, who started heading out the gates. When they had crossed out of the Fort, the gate slowly rose up, and closed off the outside world.

"Looks like there's no going back now," Aidan said to himself.


	8. Path of Doom

Path of Doom

As the group walked along the dirt path, Devona noticed that they were heading back to Ascalon. "Why are we going here?"

"We're going behind the academy," Rurik explained. "The nest is off a little ways back there. Right under our noses too…" The group silently went on, hanging their heads in sorrow. All this time, and no one knew about the Charr base just outside the town. As the gang walked past the town entrance, Mhenlo looked up and saw Gwen waving him. He showed a small smile, and waved back. She disappeared on the other side of the wall, and Mhenlo morosely turned his head back to the front.

When the troupe finally got to the supposed lair of the Charr, Devona looked around. "I don't see anything… are you sure we're in the right place?"

"Obviously, you're not looking hard enough," Rurik said. He pointed towards a small crack in a rock wall. "That's the secret entrance." Rurik slowly walked towards the crevice, and the others followed him to it. He tried to pry open the wall, but it didn't move at all. "Charr make this look easy. Can someone give me some help?" Aidan and Devona quickly rushed to his side, and started to help pry the wall open. It budged a little before the three collapsed to the ground.

"Stand aside," Cynn said. She walked forward, focused her energy, and shot a great ball of fire at the crack. A brilliant red beam of light appeared and disappeared just as fast. When everyone opened their eyes after the flash, it appeared that nothing had happened. "Well, aren't we stubborn?" She focused her energy again, but this time instead of aiming her hands at the wall in a striking position, she put them in a way as if she was pulling the wall. At first glance it appeared that nothing was happening, but after looking closer, the others noticed the wall was slowly opening. Slowly, but surely. Mhenlo gave a cry of joy, and Cynn almost lost her focus. Aidan and Devona noticed this, and rushed over to the wall to help. Once the wall opened fully, Rurik walked into the cave and started investigating.

The others walked inside too, and the group congratulated Cynn. Eve slowly walked a little away from the group, peering around a corner that was nearby. She noticed a charr, and almost yelped, but caught herself and quickly went back around the corner. She peered back around the corner and upon closer looking, noticed that the charr was asleep. She sighed, and tiptoed her way to the charr. She investigated him closely, trying to find something of value on him. She noticed a medallion around his neck, and she leaned in closer to study it. As she got closer, she lost her balance and fell onto the charr. The charr quickly sat up, and started snarling. Eve quickly thought of what to do, and suddenly a swarm of flies came from her sleeves, and entered the charr's growling mouth. A few seconds later, the charr's eyes went blank, and it fell to the ground. The flies exited from the mouth and went back to her sleeves.

"What happened?" Aidan asked as he ran around the corner. He looked down at the charr and sighed. "We gotta find a spot for this thing. If a patrol or something comes over here and sees it…" Before Aidan could finish his sentence, two charr talking to each other came down the cavern passage. Aidan and Eve quickly ran to a pile of crates next to a wall. Aidan was thinking of what to do when he noticed what was in the box. "These are soldier's armor and weapons. They've been stealing this stuff from the academy. But how?"

The charr came closer, and when they came into range of the body, they kicked it a little first to see if it was still alive. Upon noticing it was dead, the two charr quickly ran back to where they first entered. Eve sighed heavily and started to walk back into plain sight, when Aidan quickly pulled her back. He told her to be quiet and pointed to the cavern entrance. A squadron of Charr was running to the body, and after seeing it, started investigating the surround area. "Hey guys? Where are you?" Mhenlo walked around the corner and saw the charr, then quickly ran back around the corner. The charr followed him and Aidan heard a few cries of pain and the sound of a gust of wind. Aidan and Eve quickly went to see what was going on, but when they got there the charr were already on the ground.

"We've got to leave immediately," Rurik said. "I bet they're already sending in more charr this very minute."

"Why? We're already here. We can take the charr, and destroy them once and for all!" Devona shouted. After seeing Rurik shake his head no, she quickly bolted around the corner and into the cavern where the charr had come from.


	9. Are You Gonna Go My Way?

Are You Gonna Go My Way?

When Devona darted around the corner to attack the charr, the others hesitated for a second. "What should we do?" Aidan asked.

"First we need to get Devona. Then, we get the hell out of here," Rurik said. "We need to make this quick. Hopefully, she won't have attracted too many Charr."

The rest of the crew went to chase after Devona. After a minute of running, there was a split in the path. One side looked darker and more sinister than the path they were already on. The other looked like it was leading towards light. "Mhenlo, Cynn, with me," Rurik ordered after a moment. They quickly headed toward the path that lead to brightness. When they were out of sight, Aidan gave a long sigh, then ran towards the dark path. Eve followed him, a small gleam on her face.

"I just love this path. It's so…dark," Eve said to herself. Aidan slowed to a walk, then stopped and turned around to her.

"…No comment…" Aidan told her after thinking of something to say. So the two kept walking on for a while longer, until they heard low snarls. They stopped dead in their tracks, listening for the direction it was coming from. Aidan closed his eyes to concentrate more, not that it made much of a difference in the pitch black cavern. He couldn't hear any snarls, so he opened his eyes, confused. The room was lit up. It was as if they had taken the bright path. He turned to Eve to ask what happened, and saw that she was concentrating hard. He noticed black tendrils being sucked into her body. Shocked, he leaped backwards and hit a wall, falling to the ground. Eve stopped focusing and rushed over to him.

"Are you all right?" she asked, confused and worried.

"What…were you…doing?" Aidan responded.

"I was trying to take the darkness out so we could see. I thought it might be dark magic, and it turns out it was!"

"Hooray," Aidan quietly said, then got up onto his feet. He looked around, now able to see what was in the previously dark room. He saw an opening in one of the walls, and started walking towards it. The snarls he heard earlier started appearing again, and he knew he was on the right path. Just a few more seconds, and he could peer into the opening…


	10. MarcoPolo

Marco….Polo

Mhenlo, Cynn, and Rurik were stealthily creeping around the walls, careful to see if any Charr were in the vicinity. After a while, they grew tired, and gave up with the sneaking. They just walked slowly, boredly, through the cavern. "Is she even here?" Mhenlo asked. "This is getting us nowhere."

A few more minutes passed, and nothing happened. They almost turned back, but slowly heard a growing sound. Charr snarls, or maybe its Devona kicking butt. In fear that the latter was true, and she was in trouble, the three quickly ran for the noise. Upon turning the corner, they opened up into a room of about twenty or so Charr. "This…isn't…good," Rurik said. He quickly got out his sword, a red sword, with two snakes of flame encircling it. The others followed suit, and got out their weapons. "Mhenlo, give me back up. Cynn, protect Mhenlo."

Mhenlo's eyes turned a white, blank color, and he started enchanting Rurik. After seeing that he was empowered, Rurik charged forward into the crowd. He went to the closest Charr and swiped with his sword, setting its fur ablaze. The next two Charr came forward, and he merely put up his sword and they ran away, fearing the heat. He was continuing his method of hack and slash, invincible thanks to Mhenlo's enchanting. Cynn was taking care of any stragglers, due to his immobility brought on by maintaining the spells. After most of the charr were dead, a great roar encompassed the hall. The three looked up to see a slightly larger Charr, with a demonic aura and a fearsome presence around it. "This, is gonna be interesting," Cynn said sarcastically, and began chanting a spell.


	11. Big Bad Wolf

Big Bad Wolf

Aidan went the last inch to peer around the corner. "Ah!!" He shouted.

Eve rushed over. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just Devona. The mess she made…"

"Well sorry," Devona said. "I'll try harder to go easy on them next time, so they have a chance to kill me." She walked past Aidan and Eve, then asked, "Where is everyone else?"

"There was a split in the path, so we went this way to search for you," Aidan explained. "We should get back to them and get out of here. These Charr are hopefully the last ones inside." The three quickly backtracked through the previously dark room, back to the fork in the road. They then changed direction, going up the other chasm. They heard some yelling, and hurried to see what the commotion was about. Rurik was all over the place, slicing everything in his path, Cynn and Mhenlo in a corner, defensively placed. "Well. Since they're doing all the work, we can just take a rest."

After a while, the fighting subsided, and a loud roar enveloped the cave. Devona jumped a foot in the air, just a second ago lying on the ground. The three quickly got their bearings and peered into the grand hallway. A terribly fearsome Charr stood at the other side, vengeance and retribution in his eyes. They quickly ran inside the room and rejoined their allies. "When did you guys get here?" Mhenlo asked. He was sweating from keeping up the enchantments on Rurik.

"A while ago," Eve said. "We didn't want to spoil your guys' fun."

Aidan thumped his head as she was talking. _"Why does she open her mouth," _he thought. "That's beside the point. That seems to be the leader," he pointed, "And I don't think he liked that you killed his brethren."

"So…We meet again," the demonic beast bellowed.

"Yes. But unfortunately for you, Vatlaaw, it's our last meeting," Rurik replied. He turned to the rest of the group. "If you guys are done with your little tea party, we have to kill this guy. His name's Vatlaaw Doomtooth, and he's one of the leaders of the Charr. Almost as powerful as Bonfaz Burntfur." He turned back to the charr, and noticed he was chuckling.

"Oh, conceited Rurik. I'm not as weak as that fool Bonfaz. His little magic tricks are merely spiders, compared to a demon, such as myself," Vatlaaw retorted. "Now then…are you ready to dance the death tango?" He let out a great howl of laughter, and then lifted his hands to his back. From there, he grabbed a massive bow, a size only a giant could wield.

In the meantime, Cynn was still casting a spell, rage filling her eyes. "How dare you call magic weak! I'll show you what the elements can do under a master!" As she finished the incantation, a tremor erupted, casting the floor aside into two land masses. It continued along to the end of the room, where Vatlaaw timed his jump so that the split in the floor missed him by a second.

"Is that the best you have?" Vatlaaw taunted. "This will be a quick and painful death for you all, if it is."


	12. Dancing the Death Tango

Dancing the Death Tango

Quickly pulling out a couple of arrows from his quiver, Aidan fired off multiple arrows in rapid succession. But Vatlaaw was too quick, running around the room, firing at Rurik and Devona as they charged him. Cynn decided to match speed with speed, getting ready to shoot a few thunderbolts at the Charr. Eve was busy summoning an undead horde, while Mhenlo was just trying to make sure Devona and Rurik didn't kill themselves. Finally, the two got close enough to attack Vatlaaw, but just as they were about to strike, he jumped into the air and flipped over them. The second he landed, he shot two arrows, one at each, and hit them just above the knee, where the armor was weak. Turning around, he was about to shoot the annoying archer but he was charged by an army of fleshy skeleton warriors.

"Die and become one of my pets," Eve yelled, laughing maniacally all the while.

Mhenlo turned and looked at her with an inquisitive eye, then shouted to Aidan, "You sure know how to pick 'em!"

Aidan grumbled but continued to fire arrows. Cynn was shooting all the lightning that Vatlaaw could taste while the bone warriors were swarming him. Finally, he had enough, and merely mowed his way through. Charging straight at Mhenlo, Cynn dived into his path, shooting an icy spell. "That should slow you down," Cynn taunted, and Mhenlo pulled himself out of cower mode. Quickly trying to regain his cool, he rushed over to Rurik and Devona, sprawled on the ground. He pulled the arrows out, and healed the wounds they had received. But as soon as they were up, Cynn was flying in the air like a rag doll. Mhenlo rushed over and caught her, laying her on the floor to heal. She blushed slightly, and when he was finished, Cynn jumped into attack mode, not wanting to stare at him for long. Eve, upset her pets were destroyed, decided to change tactics.

Speaking in the language of ancients, she flung her demonic spell at Vatlaaw. He quickly slowed even more than when Cynn cast her spell. Seizing the opportunity, Devona ran up and smashed him with her hammer. He went flying, and landed sprawled on the ground. Rurik quickly ran up to him and started to interrogate Vatlaaw.

"What are you doing here?" Rurik asked.

"Well, I have the unfortunate task of making sure stragglers don't escape the city. Which is ruined now that you found me…"

"Why would people escape the city?"

Vatlaaw slowly started crawl to a cliff overhang that showed Ascalon. While Rurik was busy pondering, Vatlaaw was about to lean over and fall, but Aidan shot an arrow to pin him to the ground. Grunting slightly from the puncture, he pulled the arrow out and went the rest of the way over. All that could be heard was his maniacal laughter, than nothing. "Guess he didn't want to be my pet," Eve said.

Devona and Aidan had made their way over to the overhang, looking for his dead body, and found it. "Ew. Charr suicide. I'm not picking that up," Devona said. Aidan had his mouth open, and pointed to the city. Following his gaze, Devona saw what he was gaping at. "Rurik…we have a problem."

Rurik slowly made his way over, and saw what she was talking about. The whole city was ablaze. Charr were pouring out the now freshly made holes in the outer walls. People were running, trying to escape the invasion. Occasionally rocks would fly from the wall after being broken again. "We rescue as many people as we can, hide them in this cave, and pray to the gods that Ascalon can survive this," was all Rurik had to say.

With that, the others quickly ran out, trying to save as many people as possible, trying to make sure that tomorrow, they wouldn't be the only proof that Ascalon existed.


	13. Bloopers

Bloopers

Do You See What I See?

As the two new friends Devona and Aidan were walking along, they heard the town crier.

"Monsters! Monsters in the south!"

"Oh shove it," Devona said. "Everyone needs saving all the time. Give me a break!"

"Yeah…fun," Aidan said sarcastically. As they rose to their feet, one of the Grawl started charging at Devona, shouting all the while. By the time she turned around, it had already fallen to the ground. She also noticed someone standing next to it, holding an expertly made staff, one she would recognize anywhere.

"Mhenlo?" Devona asked. The figure turned to show a shades and trenchcoat wearing man. "Neo?"

"I prefer the first one better," the Chosen one replied. Going into a crouch, he jumped and flew off into the distance.

"I'm Cynn," the woman said. "You guys don't know how to give a proper thank you, do you?"

"Again, sorry," Devona said quietly. She studied Cynn more closely. "You look familiar. Do I know you?"

"I live in Ascalon. You might have noticed me in town I guess."

"Hmm. I guess so," Devona said. "So, are you originally from Ascalon?"

"Get off my back woman!" Cynn responded. "First you tackle me, than you barrage me with questions! What's wrong with your manners?"

Me, Myself, and I

Aidan got closer to the cave entrance, and what he saw was a horrific sight. There were devourers (giant scorpions) all around, some dead, some living. He looked closer and he saw that a woman was in the midst of the bugs. Her hair was in buns, gray as a cloud. She wore a purple dress, with blue stripes through it. She also held a staff that seemed twisted and eerily evil. He looked back at the bugs and noticed that they were circling around her, while she was clutching a skull in her other hand. After a second of glaring at the bugs, she lifted her hand up and threw the skull, shouting "Go Adam!" during the process. The skull bounced off a devourer, and stared up at the bugs with its blank eyes.

Through the Woods

"Look out!" yelled Cynn. Devona looked up and saw a band of Charr charging her. Devona quickly got in a battle stance, and she stopped one of the Charr right in its tracks with a blow to the gut. Cynn quickly shot some fireballs into the fray, causing one of the monster's furs to set ablaze. Devona quickly charged another charr with her mallet, and swung at its head. The beast fell onto its back. She heard an incantation, then the shouts of Cynn saying "Duck!" Devona quickly hit the ground, and she saw boulders flying towards the remaining Charr. They tried to run away, but the rocks followed them, and eventually got their target. As the chaos simmered down, Devona noticed a scroll on the ground. She picked it up, and read it.

"Come and celebrate Bonfaaz's birthday! Where: Ascalon City. When: three moons and five quarters past noon. What to expect: Lots of exploding walls and scared humans!

"That's not good," Cynn remarked. "I wonder what they're gonna do."

"One things for sure," Devona stated, "That was just a search party. I saw one of them get away. Probably going to report back to the leaders." Devona clenched the scroll, and then walked off.

"Where are you going?" Cynn asked.

"To get Bonfaaz a present!"

Show Me the Way

As Mhenlo was walking back to Ashford Abbey, he looked back and noticed that Aidan was walking towards a cave, and the two women were running towards the woods. "That's weird," he thought to himself. He turned back around and continued walking, when he noticed a little girl picking flowers by the pig pen. She looked to be no older than ten, her hair shoulder length. She wore a wreath of flowers and had a red cape on. "You know, its almost dark out," Mhenlo stated. The little girl turned and looked at him. Smiling she ran up to the monk.

"I'm Gwen. Fear me!"

Confused, Mhenlo asked, "Why would I fe-" But before he could finish, a meteor shower appeared and started burning down the country side.

"That'll teach you to not bring me my flute!"

"Go…

"Go to him…"

"Go to whom?" Mhenlo asked. "Wait, I'm talking to myself." He turned around and he saw an iridescent lady.

"Go to Togo. He is gonna die!"

The Prince of Ascalon

"Ok. So you're trying to say that the Charr are starting an uprising, and you think it will be soon. If that is the case, it would seem that the other monsters of woods are joining them," Rurik thought to himself, "Well, I must relay this news to my father. Please, feel free to stay the night in the fort." He walked off into a pavilion.

"You know what that means?" Devona asked.

Cynn looked over at her, and unanimously the two shouted, "SLUMBER PARTTAAAYYYY!!!"

Mission Impossible

"Better wake Cynn and Devona. They surely won't want to miss this," Mhenlo said. He walked back to the inn and disappeared inside. Aidan stared off for a moment, and then walked outside to a tree. He knelt to its roots, and examined it. Out of nowhere he felt a chill down his spine, and when he turned around, he saw a skull staring at him with blank, empty eyes.

"Abort mission, Adam!!! Abort!!" Eve shouted.

Path of Doom

"Stand aside," Cynn said. She walked forward, focused her energy, and shot a great ball of fire at the crack. A brilliant red beam of light appeared and disappeared just as fast. When everyone opened their eyes after the flash, it appeared that nothing had happened. "Well, aren't we stubborn?"

Eve walked up to the crack, pulled Adam out of her cloak, and threw it at the wall, shouting "Go Adam!". The skull bounced off and landed on the grass a few feet away, staring at Eve. Its eyes were that of uninterest.

The others walked inside too, and the group congratulated Cynn. Eve slowly walked a little away from the group, peering around a corner that was nearby. She noticed a charr, and almost yelped, but caught herself and quickly went back around the corner. She peered back around the corner and upon closer looking, noticed that the charr was asleep. She sighed, and tiptoed her way to the charr. She investigated him closely, trying to find something of value on him. She noticed a medallion around his neck, and she leaned in closer to study it. As she got closer, she lost her balance and fell onto the charr. The charr quickly sat up, and started snarling. Eve quickly thought of what to do, so pulled out Adam and threw it at the charr, quietly murmuring "Go Adam". The skull bounced off, and landed a few feet away. The charr got up, snarled and walked towards Eve. It accidentally stepped on Adam, and slipped. With the charr unconscious, Eve grabbed Adam and the medallion, then whistled while walking back to the others.

"Why? We're already here. We can take the charr, and destroy them once and for all!" Devona shouted. After seeing Rurik shake his head no, she quickly bolted around the corner and into the cavern where the charr had come from. A faint "LEERRROOOYYYYYY JENNNNKKKIIINNNSSSSS!!!" could be heard.

Big Bad Wolf

Aidan went the last inch to peer around the corner. "Ah!!" He shouted.

Eve rushed over. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just Devona."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Aidan went the last inch to peer around the corner. "Ah!!" He shouted.

Eve rushed over. "What's wrong?"

"It's Santa!"

Aidan went the last inch to peer around the corner. "Ah!!" He shouted.

Eve rushed over. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just some Charr. Looks like Devona died." Shocked, Eve ran into the room and started to throw Adam, but stopped when she saw Devona having beaten the charr.

"You lied!" Instead of throwing the skull at the charr, she turned around and threw it at Aidan, who ducked at the last second. Chuckling, he stood upright again, and was hit in the back. "Ha! I upgraded Adam with a boomerang feature!"

In the meantime, Cynn was still casting a spell, rage filling her eyes. "How dare you call magic weak! I'll show you what the elements can do under a master!" As she finished the incantation, a tremor erupted, casting the floor aside into two land masses. It continued along to the end of the room, where Vatlaaw tried to escape, but fell into the abyssal gorge Cynn just created.

"That was easy," Rurik said. He shrugged, then went to the exit.

Dancing the Death Tango

Aidan grumbled but continued to fire arrows. Cynn was shooting all the lightning that Vatlaaw could taste while the bone warriors were swarming him. Finally, he had enough, and merely mowed his way through. Charging straight at Mhenlo, Cynn dived into his path, shooting an icy spell. "That should slow you down," Cynn taunted, and Mhenlo pulled himself out of cower mode. Quickly trying to regain his cool, he rushed over to Rurik and Devona, sprawled on the ground. He pulled the arrows out, and healed the wounds they had received. But as soon as they were up, Cynn was flying in the air like a rag doll. Mhenlo rushed over and caught her, laying her on the floor to heal. She blushed slightly, and when he was finished, Cynn jumped into attack mode, not wanting to stare at him for long. Eve, upset her pets were destroyed, decided to change tactics.

Winding up, Eve threw Adam with all her might, screaming "GO ADAM!!". The skull bounced off of Vatlaaw, and he stopped, confused by the tactic. While he was distracted, Devona ran up and pounded him on the top of the head.

"What are you doing here?" Rurik asked.

"Well, I _was _gonna invite you guys to Bonfaaz's party, but now that you guys made me angry, you aren't going."

Vatlaaw slowly started crawl to a cliff overhang that showed Ascalon. While Rurik was busy pondering, Vatlaaw was about to lean over and fall, but Aidan shot an arrow to pin him to the ground. Grunting slightly from the puncture, he pulled the arrow out and went the rest of the way over. All that could be heard was his maniacal laughter, than nothing. After a few seconds, a grumble was heard.

"Why isn't this cliff higher up? I mean really. When we make cliffs to throw people off of, its supposed to kill them," Vatlaaw said, venting his rage. He stood up, and the heroes could plainly see his torso up. "See? If I can see you, than this is obviously not high up enough."


End file.
